SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) are an elite paramilitary unit of U.S. Law Enforcement. The primary mission of most SWAT teams is to respond to especially dangerous incidents involving armed suspects. These include bank robberies, back-up for undercover officers, hostage incidents, terrorist attacks, sting operations and High-Risk Warrant executions.

SWAT was formed in response to a shooting spree at the University of Texas campus in Austin on August 1, 1966. After killing his wife and mother and killing two people with a shotgun at the University, Charles Whitman went to the top of the clock tower and started shooting innocent people. It took the police and a deputized civilian over an hour to get to the top of the tower to kill him, and it resulted in the deaths of 13 people and 32 being injured. Today, they respond to high risk situations; from hostage rescues to subduing armed suspects.

The first well-known SWAT operation took place on 5/6/74 in Los Angeles, California. LAPD S.W.A.T, along with regular LAPD were called to arrest members of the left-wing militia the Symbonise Liberation Army (SLA), who had invaded a home and barricaded themselves in it after a botched shoplifting. The SLA had caught media attention after several brazen bank robberies and the abduction and apparent brainwashing of Patty Hearst, an heiress to a considerable fortune. The S.W.A.T officers attempted to coax the suspects out of the home, but the SLA resisted, firing at them with automatic weapons. SWAT officers at the time were armed with mostly semi-automatic .223 rifles, shotguns and the standard service revolver of an LAPD officer. Despite over 9,000 rounds fired at the officers, not one officer or bystander was injured. The siege ended when a fire--caused by either an LAPD bullet striking a Molotov cocktail or by the large volume of tear gas used in an attempt to subdue the suspects--caused the building to catch fire and burn down. All six SLA members subsequently died, two from injuries sustained in the firefight, and four due to the fire. After this incident, LAPD SWAT were more regularly issued body armor and automatic weapons.

On 2/28/1997, Larry Eugene Phillips Jr. and Emil Dechebal Matasareanu robbed the Bank of America Laurel Canyon Boulevard branch. Armed with two modified Norinco Type 56 Sporters, one Norinco Type 56 S-1, a HK91, a modified Bushmaster XM15 E2S, a 9mm Beretta Model 92F(just Phillips), full suit body armor, trauma plates, and the drug Phenobarbital to calm their nerves. Due to the recent Rodney King riots, the LAPD had less fire power, and had problems defending themselves against the 'High Incident Bandits' as they were known. When SWAT arrived, so did the daily gold delivery, so SWAT used the Armored Car to rescue the hurt civilians and cops. By the end of the incident, the only deaths were those of Phillips (he killed himself because he got shot in the thumb, so when he got a stovepipe jam, he could not flip the bullet out, and seeing that with the Beretta it was an even playing field) and Matasareanu (by bleeding out after getting shot in the feet. His family sued the city for the paramedics not going in to try and save him, but they were over ruled due to the fact that the paramedics were doing their jobs right, paramedics can't go into a situation were they would be putting themselves in danger).

The battle begins with the SWAT teams's armored van parking near a series of abandoned buildings and parked cars. The squad's captain looks into his binoculars and sees 4 GSG-9 members approaching from the other side of the area. The SWAT team splits up, with 3 of the members going off in different directions and the leader setting himself down to set up his Remington 700 sniper rifle. The GSG-9 also split up, with each team going into different buildings.

In one building, a member of the SWAT team sets up his Taser Shockwave and hides in another room. A GSG-9 member enters the same warehouse, gun in hand. The SWAT team member watches as the GSG-9 member slowly crosses the room, then pushes a button on his remote. The taser shockwave shoots out hooks that latch on to the GSG-9 member and electrocutes him. A nearby GSG-9 hears the commotion and runs in to find his teammate dazed and on the floor. He sees the cord connecting the taser to the remote control and follows it to the next room. The SWAT member tries to shoot the GSG-9 man with his LWRC-PSD, but misses and is shot himself with the HKG36. The GSG-9 member then proceeds to remove the taser hooks from his teammate.

The two exit the building, deciding on which building to enter next. The SWAT team captain sees them and shoots one with the sniper rifle, causing the other to flee. He runs up to the roof of a building, sets up his H&K PSG1 sniper rifle, and beings to search for a SWAT team member to shoot at.

Down below, a SWAT team member is chased into a building by two GSG-9 members. The two GSG-9 members approach the building, where the SWAT team member tries to shoot them from inside with his Benelli M4 shotgun. One of them tries to fire back with his Remington 870 shotgun, but misses. He pulls out a Stingball Grenade and throws it into the room. It explodes right next to the SWAT member, throwing him to the floor. The GSG-9 member then quickly runs in and dispatches him. He enters the next room and finds an exit, only to be shot by a SWAT member and his LWRC-PSD. The GSG-9 member on the roof sees this and shoots him with his sniper rifle. However, he is spotted by the SWAT team captain and is picked off by the SWAT's sniper rifle.

The SWAT team captain then gets up and runs toward his van, with the last GSG-9 member not too far behind. The GSG-9 member hides behind a nearby parked car and eyes the SWAT's armored van, slowly approaching it with his Remington 870 shotgun. He opens it from the back, only to find it empty. The back door of the parked car opens, and the SWAT captain steps out with his Benelli M4. The GSG-9 member turns around and tries to fire his gun, but the SWAT team captain shoots first and kills him. The SWAT captain slowly approaches the GSG-9 member to make sure he is dead, then removes his goggles.

"Put the SWAT team's weapons into the hands of the GSG9 and it might've been quite a different story, but I think there's a lot that has to be said for good old-fashioned American know-how and stick to it-iveness" - Max Geiger, computer programmer

The reason for the SWAT's victory was that the SWAT team's arsenal packed more firepower than GSG9's weapons, (although the GSG9's H&K PSG1 sniper rifle won the edge over the SWAT team's Remington 700 for accuracy) as well as the fact that in addition to excellent training, SWAT takes on high-level missions on a much more constant basis than the GSG9.